A Concord Pastor Comments: Pause for Prayer: Pentecost Novena

We're offering some special prayers, a novena, in preparation for Pentecost Sunday which falls this year on May 19, 2013. Here's some more info and background on Pentecost and these prayers.

• Check out the widget at the top of the sidebar and choose a song to listen to, to help you slow down and lead you to a prayerful quiet place in your mind and heart...

• Here's a word from scripture to reflect on:
Turning your ear to wisdom, your heart to understanding;

Call and raise your voice to understanding:

seek her like silver,
search her out as a hidden treasure... Proverbs 2:2-5

• The gift of understanding is another face of the gift of wisdom:
the two gifts complement each other
   and understanding either one will help me understand the other...

• The Spirit's gift of understanding has a particular focus:
      to understand what faith teaches me,
         what faith asks of me,
            and where faith leads me -
       and to learn, to do and to follow as I have understood...

• The gift of understanding is meant to help me
      intuit what faith teaches me,
   act on what faith demands of me
and shape my life as my faith forms me...

• The Spirit's gift of understanding empowers me
to take faith's high road,
         especially when the short cut is so appealing...

Let us pray...
Give me the gift of understanding, Lord:
the gift of your Spirit to kindle the embers of faith within me
   until the flame of understanding enlightens my belief,
heats my conviction to do as you teach me
               and shines on the path you call me to walk...

Today's Take-Away
   Where in my life of faith
      might the gift of understanding bridge the gap
         between my "talking the talk: and "walking the walk?"